Functional and Ornamental: Darryl Carter

D.C. INTERIOR designer Darryl Carter wins clients (and love from shelter mags) by combining modern art, neoclassic antiques and lots of neutral fabric. He just wrote a book on his serene style, “The New Traditional,” and he’ll debut a collection of shapely chairs, column tables and other furniture for Thomasville in October.

» EXPRESS: How would you describe your style to someone who hasn’t seen one of your rooms?
» CARTER: What I hear from my clients is that my rooms have a certain effortlessness in their outcome. I have a penchant for neutrals because of my penchant for art. I use white space to avoid visual chaos.

» EXPRESS: What sort of space would you never do?
» CARTER: Something that was overstated, overdesigned or superfluous. And I don’t use a lot of gratuitous window treatments.

» EXPRESS: Do you have any design heroes?
» CARTER: I love Jefferson‘s Monticello. And I think Bill Blass was as brilliant at designing homes as he was at designing clothing.

» EXPRESS:You’re big on mixing antiques with modern things. What’s the key to getting that right?
» CARTER: Sensitivity to scale. And using antiques that have patina. I don’t like things that are refined. I prefer things that show wear, that are honorable to the fact that they have age and have been used. They take the static out of a room.

» EXPRESS: What’s the secret to scoring cool antiques?
» CARTER: Don’t be intimidated, and educate yourself. Then you can walk into a rarefied shop the same way you’d walk into a flea market.

» EXPRESS: Where do you hunt for them?
» CARTER: I love Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown and the shops in Kensington. I’m also a fan of architectural salvage, which often lands me at the Brass Knob and Second Chance in Baltimore. I like to integrate old pieces — mantelpieces, doorknobs or lighting.

» EXPRESS: Any tips on displaying art?
» CARTER: I’m prone toward opposites, like taking a small modern painting and framing it in some crusty gilded frame. I also love putting art on easels or hanging it from bookshelves.

» EXPRESS: Your rooms are pared down and uncluttered. How can I do that in my own place?
» CARTER: It’s got a lot to do with composition. One of my favorite tricks is dedicating a wall to family photography. You take all these photos that might seem like clutter, then frame them all the same. If you have groupings of things that are similar, they read as one.

» EXPRESS: What’s your new line of furniture for Thomasville like?
» CARTER: It’s inspired by things I’ve collected and rooted in history, yet it’s scaled down so it can be mixed easily. It’s very accessibly priced, too.

» EXPRESS: How do you throw a party?
» CARTER: I love to have an intimate gathering of friends and sit around a candlelit table. I serve interactive food, things you grab from the table and share. I spend my life organizing things, so, in my private time, I’m quite relaxed.

Photo by Mark Finkenstaedt/The Washington Post